WX- 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE 
WEST  INDIES 


EDWARD  A.  ODELL 

Director  of  the  Defartvient 
of  the  West  Indies 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


E  first  civil  governor  of  Porto  Rico, 
Charles  W.  Allen,  in  his  inaugural 
address  said:  “Whether  this  new 
era  shall  turn  out  well  or  ill  now 
largely  depends  upon  yourselves. 
The  greatest  constitution  makers 
can  only  lay  the  foundation.  The  building  of  the 
superstructure,  whether  or  not  it  shall  be  stately, 
beautiful,  and  enduring,  must  rest  upon  the  indus¬ 
try  and  wisdom  of  the  people  themselves.”  When 
this  era  of  new  things  came  to  the  West  Indies 
about  thirty  years  ago,  the  first  and  greatest  need 
was  leadership.  These  beautiful,  fertile,  tropical 
lands  were  in  need  of  almost  all  the  things  that  go 
to  make  up  favorable  conditions  of  twentieth  cen¬ 
tury  Christian  civilization.  They  needed  roads,  mu¬ 
nicipal  buildings,  docks,  and  parks.  They  needed 
churches,  schools,  hospitals,  preventive  sanitation, 
and,  above  all,  the  means  for  providing  those  from 
their  own  people  who  were  to  create  this  new 
order  of  things.  For  many  generations  their 
leaders  had  been  foreigners.  This  was  true  of 
practically  every  phase  of  life.  Their  governors, 
engineers,  editors,  and  landlords,  as  well  as  priests 
and  educators,  were  of  the  same  racial  ancestry  as 
those  living  in  the  West  Indies,  but  they  were 
foreigners  and  not  identified  with  the  development 
of  the  Islands  and  certainly  not  interested  in  the 

- 3  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


development  of  native  leadership.  Native  sons 
and  daughters  must  rise  to  meet  the  challenge  of 
Governor  Allen’s  eloquent  appeal.  They  did  just 
this  and  the  story  of  it  is  inspiring. 

In  1898  there  was  but  one  school  building  in 
Porto  Rico  erected  for  that  purpose.  The  military 
road  from  San  Juan  to  Ponce  was  the  only  well- 
built  highway.  Lighters  crowded  the  shores  and 
carried  freight  to  and  from  steamers  anchored  far 
out  in  the  harbors  of  principal  ports.  The  churches 
even  of  the  Roman  faith  were  found  only  on 
the  plazas  of  cities  and  their  priests  were  foreign- 
born.  There  were  no  native  churches  of  other 
creeds.  Cuba,  rich  and  the  greatest  of  the  Antilles, 
was  no  better  off,  and  conditions  in  the  Dominican 
Republic  were  even  worse.  Today  roads  skirt  the 
shores  of  Porto  Rico  and  wind  their  way  across 
the  mountains.  There  are  two  thousand  schools 
extending  from  kindergarten  to  a  splendidly 
equipped  university.  Docks  have  been  built  in 
several  of  the  largest  ports.  Churches  of  every 
faith  join  hands  in  inspiring  service.  During  this 
period  foreign  leadership  has  almost  entirely  dis¬ 
appeared  from  the  West  Indies.  The  foundations 
are  laid  and  the  superstructure  has  commenced  to 
rise,  built  by  their  own  well-trained  hands.  In 
Cuba  and  the  Dominican  Republic  not  a  foreigner 
occupies  a  post  of  importance.  In  Porto  Rico  only 

- 4  4  fr- - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


a  very  few  Continentals  are  now  sent  down  from 
Washington. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  is  justly  proud  of  the 
part  it  has  had  and  now  has  in  this  preparation 
for  leadership.  Native  presbyteries  in  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico,  with  only  a  single  representative  of 
our  Board  in  evangelical  work  in  each  island,  are 
carrying  on  the  program  of  seventy  organized 
churches.  The  schools  and  hospitals  are  each  year 
entrusting  an  increasing  part  of  their  work  and  the 
responsibility  for  administration  to  native  trained 
workers. 

Porto  Rico  and  Cuba  are  maintaining  seminaries 
for  the  preparation  of  Christian  workers.  Santo 
Domingo,  our  newest  field,  is  sending  its  candidates 
to  the  Evangelical  Seminary  of  Porto  Rico  for 
training.  In  Cuba  the  first  class  of  five  was  gradu¬ 
ated  last  year  and  is  doing  excellent  work.  The 
Rev.  H.  G.  Smith,  President  of  the  Seminary, 
trained  these  boys  in  his  own  home  with  the  aid 
of  members  of  the  faculty  of  Cardenas  College 
and  such  outside  help  as  he  could  get  from  pastors 
of  churches  in  Havana.  As  this  goes  to  press  ne¬ 
gotiations  are  being  made  for  the  organization  of 
a  Union  Theological  Seminary  for  the  Island  of 
Cuba  that  will  follow  somewhat  the  lines  of  the 
seminary  in  Porto  Rico.  This  will  mark  a  new 
milestone  in  the  development  toward  a  national 

- °<{  5  J3** - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


church  for  Cuba.  Dr.  James  A.  McAllister  of 
our  Board  is  president  of  the  Evangelical  Seminary 
in  Porto  Rico  and  under  his  leadership  there  is 
an  ever-widening  influence  of  the  seminary  as  well 
as  a  constant  improvement  in  the  curriculum.  Of 
the  graduating  class  last  May  two  were  from  Vene¬ 
zuela,  the  first  men  in  that  country  to  receive 
seminary  training,  and  a  third  returned  to  his  na¬ 
tive  country,  the  Dominican  Republic,  the  first 
graduate  for  the  evangelical  cause  in  that  Island. 
For  the  first  time  the  seminary  conferred  the  de¬ 
gree  of  Bachelor  of  Theology,  it  being  probably 
the  first  time  this  degree  was  ever  given  in  Latin 
America.  These  men  were  all  graduates  of  the 
University  of  Porto  Rico,  situated  on  the  hill  just 
opposite  the  seminary,  as  well  as  of  the  Seminary. 
Two  of  the  graduates  won  scholarships  offered  by 
northern  institutions,  where  they  are  at  present 
doing  graduate  work.  The  members  of  the  facul¬ 
ty,  representing  five  denominations,  are  exerting 
an  influence  throughout  the  Island.  Their  ser¬ 
vices  are  in  demand  for  meetings  of  a  public  na¬ 
ture,  summer  conferences,  annual  meetings  of 
church  organizations  as  well  as  other  church  func¬ 
tions. 

The  Polytechnic  Institute  at  San  German  is 
furnishing  much  of  the  material  from  which  the 
Church  is  drawing  its  leadership.  This  very 

- 6  }>* - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


worthy  institution,  of  which  Dr.  J.  William  Harris 
is  president,  reports  this  year  an  enrollment  of 
four  hundred.  Forty-four  of  these  have  reached 
the  college  department.  The  hope  of  this  insti¬ 
tution,  as  expressed  in  its  charter  of  1920  reported 
to  the  Carnegie  Corporation  on  March  21,  1923, 
is  to  develop  mentally,  morally,  and  physically 
the  youth  of  both  sexes  through  a  regularly  ac¬ 
cepted  study  of  liberal  arts  and  sciences,  the  study 
of  the  Bible  (not  from  a  sectarian  standpoint),  and 
the  performance  of  daily  manual  labor,  thus  to 
produce  American  citizens  of  trained  minds,  sound 
bodies,  well-rounded  figures,  character,  resource¬ 
ful  and  independent,  and  of  a  steady  Christian 
faith.  Every  student  is  required  to  perform  week¬ 
ly  twelve  hours  of  industrial  training,  which  re¬ 
quirement  is  made  both  of  school  and  college 
students.  The  scope  of  the  work  covers  for  girls, 
in  addition  to  the  academic  curriculum,  everything 
in  relation  to  the  industrial  side  of  the  home.  The 
boys  do  all  the  outside  work  that  is  possible  for 
them  to  accomplish ;  this  includes  agriculture,  road 
building,  construction  of  homes.  There  is  no 
sphere  of  the  life  of  Porto  Rico  that  is  not  looking 
forward  to  native  leadership  trained  under  this 
strong  evangelical  influence. 

The  church  is  perhaps  more  familiar  with  the 
work  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  in  San  Juan 

- Hg(  7  ►- - - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


than  with  that  of  any  similar  institution  in  mission 
fields.  Last  year  approximately  51,000  patients 
were  cared  for  in  the  wards  and  through  the 
clinics,  and  yet  this  is  not  the  greatest  contribution 
the  hospital  is  making  to  the  life  of  the  Island. 
The  greatest  service  is  the  preparation  of  native 
nurses  and  the  inspiration  given  to  every  munici¬ 
pality  of  the  Island  to  erect  for  themselves  hos¬ 
pitals  like  El  Presbiteriano,  as  it  is  affectionately 
known  throughout  the  Island.  Noteworthy  honors 
have  come  to  the  hospital  as  a  just  reward  for 
efficient  and  devoted  service.  Dr.  W.  R.  Galbreath, 
medical  director,  has  recently  been  made  a  fellow 
of  the  American  College  of  Surgeons,  in  recogni¬ 
tion  of  his  distinguished  work.  The  hospital  has 
been  included  in  the  list  of  “Approved  Graduate 
Medical  Schools.”  It  has  also  won  further  dis¬ 
tinction  by  enrollment  among  the  Hospitals  for 
Higher  Instruction  in  Tropical  Medicine  and  in¬ 
clusion  in  the  Hospital  Standardization  reports. 
While  deeply  appreciative  of  these  honors,  Miss 
Jennie  Ordway,  who  has  for  twenty  years  been 
superintendent,  points  with  greatest  pride  to  the 
graduates  who  are  in  charge  of  the  laboratories 
and  who  carry  responsibility  for  the  nursing.  The 
government  has  several  times  attempted  the  prep¬ 
aration  of  nurses  but  without  great  success.  And 
so  today  the  Presbyterian  Nurses’  Training  School 

- ^  8  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


is  supplying  nurses  for  every  important  position  of 
the  nursing  profession.  The  president  of  the 
National  Association  of  Nurses  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Presbyterian  Training  School. 

In  Cuba  where  the  government  has  been  unable 
to  supply  teachers  and  schools  sufficient  in  number 
to  care  for  the  public  needs,  our  Board  is  conduct¬ 
ing  nine  schools,  and  for  their  leadership  has  or¬ 
ganized  at  Cardenas  a  normal  department.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  past  year  the  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
Dr.  R.  L.  Wharton,  entrusted  the  entire  work  of 
one  school  to  Cuban  workers,  and  when  the  gov¬ 
ernment  required  that  the  principal  of  high  schools 
be  a  native  Cuban  or  a  foreigner  of  five  years’ 
residence  in  the  Island,  he  was  able  to  appoint  as 
principal  of  the  school  at  Sancti  Spiritus  a  young 
man  who  had  received  his  training  in  the  Presby¬ 
terian  School  at  Cardenas.  The  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Sancti  Spiritus,  erected  beside  the  school, 
is  a  native  Cuban,  a  graduate  of  a  theological  sem¬ 
inary.  These  two  native  sons  are  carrying  on  the 
work  of  Christian  education  and  the  pastorate  side 
by  side  in  this  important  city  in  the  center  of  the 
Island  where  thirty  years  ago  the  gospel  had  never 
been  preached.  This  is  the  only  high  school  in 
the  district  and  the  church  has  sole  responsibility 
for  the  evangelical  cause  in  a  city  and  district  of 
twenty  thousand. 

- 9  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


Recently  I  went  back  into  the  hills  of  Porto 
Rico  to  a  town  where  I  first  preached  in  1906. 
There  was  no  church  then.  A  little  mission  school 
taught  fifty  children  in  an  improvised  schoolroom 
behind  a  grocery  store.  We  preached  in  those 
days  with  police  protection  because  many  people 
did  not  understand  us  and  misinterpreted  our  mo¬ 
tives.  What  a  change!  Now  there  is  a  neat,  well- 
kept  chapel,  located  in  the  center  of  the  town. 
The  pastor,  a  Porto  Rican,  introduced  me  as  an 
“old  missionary.”  On  his  right  was  an  orchestra. 
On  his  left  were  the  officers  of  the  church,  both 
trained  by  the  missionary,  the  Rev.  Byron  G.  Sager. 
The  room  was  full  of  Presbyterians  and  in  auto¬ 
mobiles  that  filled  the  streets  sat  friends  who 
wanted  to  hear  the  message  and  the  singing  of 
hymns.  The  wife  of  this  young  pastor  is  a  daugh¬ 
ter  of  a  former  mayor  of  the  town.  I  visited  them 
in  their  rented  manse.  They  had  been  in  New 
York,  they  spoke  English,  they  seemed  to  belong 
to  a  new  age,  and  they  did. 

The  Marina  House  under  the  direction  of  Miss 
Clara  E.  Hazen,  has  for  many  years  been  a  verit¬ 
able  refuge  in  the  downtown  playa  part  of  the  city 
of  Mayaguez.  Hundreds  of  lives  have  been  touched 
by  the  work  of  this  institution,  but  today  Miss 
Hazen  is  devoting  her  greatest  energies  to  the 
training  of  Porto  Rican  women  who  will  carry 

- 4  10  }>» - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


this  work  into  other  cities  throughout  the  Island. 
In  Cuba,  Miss  Della  C.  Kibler  three  years  ago 
took  the  first  steps  for  the  organization  of  a  Dea¬ 
coness  Training  School  for  Cuban  women.  Both 
Miss  Hazen  and  Miss  Kibler  feel  that  the  success 
of  the  evangelical  cause  in  Latin  America  awaits 
the  day  when  every  organized  church  and  mission 
station  will  have  a  trained  woman  worker. 

The  impact  of  the  evangelical  church  on  the 
community  is  well  illustrated  in  the  work  of  the 
native  pastor  in  Mayaguez,  Porto  Rico.  The  teach¬ 
ing  force  of  the  city  as  well  as  the  Insular  Board 
of  Education  has  for  three  years  unanimously 
elected  the  Rev.  Gustavo  E.  Archilla,  pastor  of  our 
church,  principal  of  the  high  school.  Unwilling 
to  become  separated  from  what  he  considered  his 
most  important  work,  the  Church,  and  at  the  same 
time  desirous  of  serving  the  youth  of  his  city,  he 
has  carried  on  these  two  very  difficult  tasks,  the 
direction  of  a  high  school  of  five  hundred  boys  and 
girls  and  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in  this  large 
port  city.  This  position  has  brought  him  into  con¬ 
tact  with  the  young  people  of  the  entire  district 
and  hundreds  of  lives  have  come  to  know  Christ 
through  his  influence  in  the  morning  chapel  and 
through  interviews  in  the  office  of  the  principal. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  life  in  Porto  Rico  in  recent  years  has  been 

- Hg[  11  fa - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


the  organization  and  development  in  all  the  larger 
towns  and  cities  of  a  Parents  and  Teachers  Asso¬ 
ciation.  The  pastors  of  all  evangelical  churches 
have  been  leaders  in  this  movement.  Four  Pres¬ 
byterian  pastors  are  presidents  of  their  local  asso¬ 
ciations,  and  many  more  hold  important  offices. 
The  Rev.  Angel  Archilla  of  Mayaguez  is  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  executive  board  of  the  National  Asso¬ 
ciation.  Such  a  public  recognition  of  Christian 
leadership  after  less  than  thirty  years  is  an  indica¬ 
tion  of  the  character  of  the  work  our  church  has 
been  doing,  as  well  as  the  interest  of  the  people 
in  the  cause  we  represent. 

The  creation  and  distribution  of  Christian  liter¬ 
ature  has  not  had  the  place  in  the  program  of  the 
different  Boards  in  Latin  America  to  which  it  is 
entitled.  It  has  only  been  in  the  last  few  years 
that  steps  have  been  taken  to  stimulate  authorship. 
The  lack  of  facilities  for  publication  work  has  been 
partly  responsible  for  this.  The  Union  Press  of 
Porto  Rico,  supported  by  the  combined  effort  of 
seven  denominations,  and  The  Heraldo  Cristiano 
and  Book  Store  of  Havana  have  made  notable 
progress  in  the  last  year.  The  Rev.  Sylvester 
Jones,  in  charge  of  the  Book  Store  in  Havana,  re¬ 
ports  sales  amounting  to  more  than  $1  1,000  for 
the  calendar  year  and  places  the  number  of  pages 
of  religious  literature  actually  placed  in  circulation 

- •*"{  12  )►— - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


through  their  book  store  and  press  at  9,500,000. 
Some  of  the  most  important  organizations  of  Ha¬ 
vana  are  now  turning  to  this  book  store  for  litera¬ 
ture.  A  Porto  Rican,  the  Rev.  P.  M.  Acosta,  is 
in  charge  of  the  press  and  a  Cuban,  the  Rev.  H.  B. 
Someillan,  is  editor  of  the  Heraldo. 

In  Porto  Rico  Dr.  P.  W.  Drury  has  continued 
the  very  unusual  work  of  the  union  paper  and 
press.  For  many  years  the  Puerto  Rico  Evangelico 
has  been  the  church  organ  of  all  evangelical  de¬ 
nominations  in  the  Island.  It  has  built  up  a  circu¬ 
lation  which  is  greater  than  the  paid  circulation  of 
any  religious  or  secular  periodical  in  the  Island. 
This  coming  year  this  paper  will  be  issued  weekly 
and  a  trained  journalist,  a  Porto  Rican,  of  course, 
will  devote  his  full  time  to  this  work. 

In  spite  of  the  somewhat  unfavorable  economic 
conditions,  the  gifts  last  year  were  the  greatest  ever 
received.  In  Cuba  six  churches  raised  more  than 
$2,000  each  and  several  others  approached  this  fig¬ 
ure.  In  Havana  one  church  raised  $2,100  toward 
self-support,  $1,600  for  a  building  fund,  and 
contributed  to  all  the  Boards  of  the  Church.  The 
native  churches  of  Porto  Rico  raised  $13,000  for 
self-support  and  for  next  year  have  pledged  20 
per  cent  of  the  entire  salary  budget  of  their  pas¬ 
tors.  In  addition  to  their  gifts  for  themselves, 
they  have  given  generously  to  the  Boards  and  have 

- -4  13  ]►- - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


raised  $2,000  for  work  in  Santo  Domingo.  There 
are  eleven  chapels  in  Porto  Rico  that  have  been 
constructed  entirely  by  local  funds  without  any 
assistance  from  the  Board.  The  mission  churches 
of  Santo  Domingo,  where  work  was  started  only 
five  years  ago,  made  a  very  remarkable  contribu¬ 
tion  of  $2.50  per  member  for  their  work  this  past 
year,  and  the  hospital  in  Santo  Domingo  City 
raised  more  than  $17,000  toward  the  support  of 
its  work. 

Conditions  are  not  alike  in  the  three  islands 
where  our  Board  has  work.  There  are,  of  course, 
certain  similarities.  Likenesses  of  race,  ancestry, 
and  climate.  But  they  differ  just  now  very  much 
in  political,  economic,  and  social  conditions.  The 
very  conditions  that  make  them  different  make 
necessary  native  leadership,  public  officials,  captains 
of  industry,  educators,  and  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
Porto  Rico  is  a  part  of  the  United  States.  The 
American  flag  is  aloft  on  every  public  building  and 
school  throughout  the  Island.  Cuba  is  an  inde¬ 
pendent  republic,  the  largest  of  the  group,  the 
richest  and  most  prosperous.  Santo  Domingo, 
while  independent,  has  for  twenty  years  sustained 
a  distinct  relationship  to  the  United  States,  but 
now  is  making  a  fresh  start  in  self-government. 
Roads  penetrating  the  interior  of  the  Island  and 
connecting  the  northern  and  southern  shores  have 

- Hg{  14  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


only  just  been  completed  under  the  direction  of 
engineers  of  the  American  Marines.  A  hospital 
equipped  by  the  Marines  has  been  taken  over 
by  the  government.  A  little  over  a  year  ago  the 
so-called  third  republic  was  inaugurated  and  Gen¬ 
eral  Horatio  Vasquez  was  elected  to  the  presidency. 
The  National  Guard  composed  of  fourteen  hun¬ 
dred  enlisted  men  and  one  hundred  and  one  offi¬ 
cers  with  modern  equipment  and  training,  easily 
transferred  over  the  newly  constructed  highways, 
have  inspired  confidence  in  the  government  to 
guarantee  public  security.  Foreign  trade  has 
shown  an  increase  of  seven  and  one-half  million 
dollars,  about  seven  per  cent  over  the  previous 
year.  In  Cuba  the  election  of  General  Machado 
is  believed  by  many  to  be  the  most  favorable  since 
the  time  of  Don  Tomas  Estrada  Palma,  the  first 
and  most  beloved  president  of  the  Island.  General 
Machado  begins  his  administration  under  most 
favorable  circumstances.  He  enjoys  the  confidence 
of  the  great  body  of  laboring  men,  and  represen¬ 
tatives  of  large  corporations  have  expressed  their 
satisfaction  in  his  election.  His  program  calls  for 
construction  of  new  highways  and  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  a  public  school  system  as  well  as  other 
improvements  which  have  given  great  confidence 
to  the  entire  Cuban  population.  And  such  con¬ 
fidence  is  needed.  In  Cuba  nearly  one-half  of 

- 15  ► - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


the  children  are  still  without  school  facilities  and 
only  one  high  school  for  each  of  the  six  provinces 
is  maintained  by  republic  funds.  Roads  have  been 
constructed  but  there  is  no  system  of  highways  ade¬ 
quate  for  the  development  of  the  interior  of  the 
Republic.  Perhaps  one-third  of  the  Island  still 
remains  uncultivated.  Industry  is  maintained  to 
a  great  extent  by  foreign  labor.  In  Havana  alone 
there  are  50,000  Chinese. 

In  Porto  Rico  there  are  many  outstanding  de¬ 
velopments  of  a  public  nature  that  augur  well  for 
the  future.  Of  these  none  is  of  greater  signifi¬ 
cance,  writes  the  Rev.  Arthur  James,  Superinten¬ 
dent  of  Presbyterian  Missions  in  Porto  Rico,  than 
the  re-nomination  by  President  Coolidge  of  Hon. 
Juan  B.  Huyke  as  Commissioner  of  Education  for 
the  Island.  Mr.  Huyke  was  the  first  native  Porto 
Rican  to  be  nominated  to  this  important  post  and 
his  re-election  after  four  years  of  service  has  been 
extremely  gratifying.  He  is  ready  on  all  occasions 
to  be  of  assistance  to  the  Christian  forces  of  the 
Island.  Other  names  could  be  mentioned  with 
Mr.  Huyke’s  if  the  space  of  this  story  permitted, 
but  such  signs  of  promise  stand  out  in  contrast  t6 
the  overwhelming  economic,  industrial  and  moral 
problems  which  will  test  the  stuff  of  native  sons 
who  have  assumed  responsibility  for  leadership. 
Hon.  Santiago  Iglesias,  representing  the  Free  Fed- 

- °*€{  1 6  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


eration  of  Working  Men  in  Porto  Rico,  has  recent¬ 
ly  declared  that  “four-fifths  of  the  working  popu¬ 
lation  of  Porto  Rico  are  without  permanent  em¬ 
ployment,  that  thousands  of  children  die  yearly 
from  anemia,  tuberculosis,  malaria,  and  other  dis¬ 
eases,  and  that  50,000  children  are  deprived  of 
education.”  In  his  last  report  to  Congress,  Gov¬ 
ernor  Towner  says,  “In  Porto  Rico  we  have 
reached  the  limit  beyond  which  we  cannot  go  with¬ 
out  an  increasing  proportion  of  our  population  con¬ 
tinuing  permanently  unemployed.  Even  with  the 
full  development  of  all  of  our  now  untilled  lands 
and  with  intensive  cultivation  of  that  which  now 
is  used,  it  is  doubtful  if  we  could  give  full  time 
employment  to  all  our  people.”  Hon.  Antonio  R. 
Barcelo,  formerly  president  of  the  Senate  and 
leader  of  the  majority  party,  in  a  somewhat  more 
hopeful  way  says,  “Porto  Rico  like  other  densely 
populated  areas  has  health  problems,  economic 
problems  and  social  problems,  but  Porto  Rico  has 
also  plans  in  operation  for  the  relief  of  physical, 
social  or  economic  unhealthiness  wherever  it  may 
exist.  The  University  of  Porto  Rico,  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Health  and  Education  and  of  the  Interior, 
to  say  nothing  of  numerous  private  and  semi-pri¬ 
vate  organizations,  are  more  from  day  to  day  oc¬ 
cupying  themselves  with  the  improvements  which 
are  the  test  of  progress.” 

- 1 7  - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


This  is  only  a  part  of  the  great  challenge  which 
confronts  these  noble  hearted  leaders  of  the  new 
day  in  the  West  Indies.  With  proper  equipment, 
they  feel  and  those  who  know  them  and  the  task 
share  their  faith,  that  it  can  be  accomplished,  but 
it  must  be  done  now.  With  the  spirit  of  progress 
and  increasing  facilities  for  public  instruction,  the 
place  of  the  Church  must  be  determined  in  the 
next  twenty-five  years.  Nearly  seventy-five  per 
cent  of  our  church  organizations  are  still  without 
buildings.  The  Seminary  for  the  training  of 
Cuban  leaders  shares  the  manse  with  a  pastor. 
Even  the  Evangelical  Seminary  of  Porto  Rico  is 
still  without  proper  buildings  and  equipment.  In 
San  Juan  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  the  outstand¬ 
ing  institution  of  its  kind  in  Latin  America,  turns 
thousands  of  patients  away  annually  because  the 
facilities  are  not  sufficient  to  care  for  them.  Sure¬ 
ly  the  accomplishments  of  the  past  thirty  years, 
the  courage,  faith,  and  consecration  of  the  native 
leaders,  the  urgency  and  promise  of  the  new  day 
will  awaken  the  Church  of  North  America  to  place 
in  the  hands  of  these  workers  tools  with  which  the 
task  can  be  done. 


18 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


Questions  on  the  Text 

1.  What  was  the  first  and  greatest  need  in  the 
West  Indies  in  1898? 

2.  What  changes  have  taken  place  in  social,  re¬ 
ligious,  and  economic  conditions  since  1898? 

3.  What  Presbyterian  institutions  are  providing 
leadership?  In  what  ways? 

4.  What  church  agencies  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico 
have  been  established  for  the  distribution  of 
Christian  literature?  With  what  results? 

5.  What  evidences  are  there  of  the  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  in  the  native  church?  What  progress 
towards  self-support? 

6.  What  is  the  political  relationship  of  each 
Island  to  the  United  States?  Name  similar¬ 
ities  and  differences  among  them? 

7.  What  examples  are  there  of  Christian  leader¬ 
ship  in  secular  life? 

8.  What  can  we  do  by  way  of  equipment  to  make 
effective  native  Christian  leadership? 

- 19  ► - 


NEW  DAYS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


For  Your  Consideration 

Church  Buildings 

Rural  Chapels,  $300 
City  Churches,  $15,000 

To  complete  Cuba  Evangelical  Seminary  Fund, 

$20,000 

Teachers’  Cottage,  Evangelical  Seminary,  Porto 
Rico,  $6,000 

Support  of  bed  at  Presbyterian  Hospital,  Porto 
Rico,  $25  up 

Salaries,  native  pastors,  Bible  readers,  teachers, 
community  workers,  $500  to  $1,000 
Scholarships 

Polytechnic  Institute,  $100 
Nurses’  Training  Schools,  Porto  Rico  and 
Dominican  Republic,  $100 


The  Board  solicits  the  interest,  prayers,  and  gifts 
of  churches,  Sunday  schools,  missionary  organiza¬ 
tions,  and  individuals. 

Remember  the  Board  with  a  legacy  in  your  will. 
Annuity  bonds  are  issued  at  liberal  rates  of  interest. 

E.  Graham  Wilson,  Treasurer 


BOARD  OF  NATIONAL  MISSIONS 


of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 
{Legal  Title ) 

156  Fifth  Avenue  New  York,  N.  Y. 


4-2G-I-4M. 


